Foreword by John W. Fitzpatrick ix Acknowledgments xi Scope and Purpose 1 Birds as Indicators 5 The State of North American Bird Populations 9 Major Conservation Issues Affecting North America's Birds 18 The State of Bird Conservation in North America and Beyond 33 What You Can Do 42 Species Accounts Emperor Goose (Chen canagica) 47 Brant (Branta bernicla) 49 Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) 53 American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 56 Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula) 59 Steller's Eider (Polysticta stelleri) 62 Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) 65 Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) 68 Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus) 72 "Blue" Grouse, including Dusky (Dendragapus obscurus) and Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus) 75 Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) 79 Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) 83 Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) 86 Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) 89 Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) 91 Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) 94 Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) 96 Bermuda Petrel (Pterodroma cahow) 99 Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) 102 Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) 104 Black-vented Shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas) 106 Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa)108 Black Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma melania) 110 Least Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma microsoma)113 Red-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax urile) 116 California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) 118 Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) 121 Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) 125 Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) 129 Whooping Crane (Grus americana) 133 American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) 137 Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) 142 Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) 145 Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) 149 Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) 154 Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis) 159 Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) 163 Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis) 169 Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) 172 Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) 176 Surfbird (Aphriza virgata) 180 Red Knot (Calidris canutus) 183 Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis) 188 Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 193 American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) 199 Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) 203 Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni) 208 Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) 211 Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) 214 Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) 217 Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) 221 Xantus's Murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) 224 Craveri's Murrelet (Synthliboramphus craveri) 227 White-crowned Pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala) 229 Green Parakeet (Aratinga holochlora) 232 Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) 236 Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis) 240 Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) 244 Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) 248 Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) 251 Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) 255 Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) 259 Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) 262 Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii) 267 Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapillus) 271 Gray Vireo (Vireo vicinior) 274 Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) 277 Island Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma insularis) 280 Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) 282 Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) 284 California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) 287 Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) 290 Bendire's Thrasher (Toxostoma bendirei) 293 Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii) 296 Bachman's Warbler (Vermivora bachmanii) 299 Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) 303 Virginia's Warbler (Vermivora virginiae) 306